Taymor Loyalist Is Out, Video-Game Maker Now Makes Spidey Fly

The key art for the Broadway musical "Spider Man, Turn Off the Dark," with songs by U2 frontmen Bono and The Edge. Source: O&M Co. via Bloomberg

March 21 (Bloomberg) -- Producers of Broadway’s much-delayed $70 million “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” are in
talks to replace its high-profile choreographer, Daniel Ezralow,
two people familiar with the situation said.

Ezralow is likely to be replaced by Chase Brock, a Brooklyn
dance maker in his late twenties, said the two people, who asked
not to be identified because they are not authorized by the
producers to discuss changes in the show.

In February, Brock choreographed the Encores! revival of
“Lost in the Stars” at New York City Center. His last Broadway
credit was as assistant to choreographer Kathleen Marshall in
the 2003 revival of “Wonderful Town.”

Ezralow, 54, created the mid-air battles that have been the
troubled musical’s most uniformly praised element. He had worked
with Julie Taymor, the director and co-author of “Spider-Man” on
her 2007 Beatles-inspired film “Across the Universe.” He worked
with Taymor in 2000 on “The Green Bird” on Broadway.

In an effort to salvage the show in the wake of scathing
reviews, the producers fired Taymor earlier this month and
replaced her with Philip William McKinley.

A former principal with the Paul Taylor Dance Company,
Ezralow staged shows for David Bowie, Sting and U2, whose
principal songwriters, Bono and The Edge, wrote the music for
“Spider-Man.”

‘Never Coming Back’

“We knew that guy was never coming back,” said a principal
in the cast, referring to Ezralow. This person, speaking
anonymously because cast members are not authorized to discuss
the changes, said that Ezralow “was a Julie person.”

Ezralow’s expected replacement danced on Broadway as a
teenager in a revival of “The Music Man” and recently was
involved with a Nintendo video game called “Dance on
Broadway,” with numbers created by his company, the Chase Brock
Experience.

“Spider-Man,” nine years in the marking, has pushed its
opening night back to June 14. Previews began on Nov. 28.

Brock did not return an e-mail sent to his Facebook
account. Ellen Jacobs, a spokeswoman representing both Brock and
Ezralow, didn’t return an e-mail.

Rick Miramontez, a spokesman for “Spider-Man,” said
“there have been no more additions to the creative team.”